Reborn Ming Dynasty as Emperor

Chapter 535 Yingji Li violated the Ming Dynasty's prestige

Turning back, because of the huge profits brought by the opium trade, the major opium companies in Ming Dynasty did not succumb to Cromwell's note, and continued to carry out the opium trade.

Seeing this, Cromwell had no choice but to take tough measures, and decisively sent troops to surround the institutions of the major opium companies in Ming Dynasty in London, Liverpool, Manchester and other places.

Seeing this, Wang Guangting and Cao Shiwen, the general manager of Meisheng Company in England, had no choice but to personally ask Cromwell to see him.

Cromwell also had scruples, and met with Wang Guangting and Cao Shiwen in his manor.

Because the taste of Chinese tea is elegant and tranquil, and more because of the strong national cultural influence, even in a western manor like Cromwell, Cromwell entertained two Ming officials (although Cao Shiwen is from the Meisheng Company but The drink is also a cup of fragrant tea.

However, like many royal nobles, Cromwell prefers to brew light green tea leaves in clear and colorless glass cups to taste the fragrance, while Wang Guangting and the two Ming officials still use white porcelain covered bowls to drink slowly and lightly.

"I don't know what the general meant. Why did you send your country's army to surround our business house? Could it be that our business house has not paid taxes, or has it violated the criminal law by interfering in other countries' internal affairs?"

Wang Guangting first asked this question, while Cromwell said politely: "Your Excellencies must have known that His Majesty the Emperor of the British Empire has already issued an edict to prohibit the Ming Dynasty from selling tobacco in the country, and the unsold tobacco must be Turn them over in full, otherwise you will be driven away by force, and now you two are asking, is it possible that you are still unwilling to admit that this edict is not successful or do not want to hand over the smoke?"

"If your country considers the physical and mental health of its people to ban smoking, it is your internal affairs, and we should not interfere, but things are always injustice. If you want to ban smoking, why only ban our opium and tobacco from Ming Dynasty, but not your own tobacco business , I am afraid this is not banning smoking, but banning my cigarettes and implementing trade protectionism."

Cao Shiwen graduated from the Department of Economics and Trade of Beijing Normal University. He is very familiar with "trade protectionism". The general interpreter can translate it properly.

Wang Guangting admired Cao Shiwen, who became the general manager of Meisheng Company in England at a young age, for his style of speech, and Cromwell also sneered: "No matter what you think, the king of our country has decided to ban smoking. Er You should obey the edict of our king, so why bother talking!"

Cromwell continued to drink tea without saying anything.

He is just a politician, not an economist. He doesn't know much about the advanced economic term of trade protectionism, and he never thought about banning cigarettes from Daming. But as a mature politician, he knows that he must succeed. If there is a general ban on smoking, it cannot be killed with a single stick. After all, there are many domestic businessmen who are selling opium, including many members of the royal family. If there is a direct and comprehensive ban on smoking, it is bound to be opposed by most nobles. In that case, even Charles I may not dare to support himself.

Therefore, in order not to completely break with these aristocrats, and hoped that they would remain silent in consideration of the long-term interests of the British Empire, Cromwell only targeted foreign tobacco companies like Daming for the smoking ban.

Of course, Cromwell was too lazy to explain to a Ming official like Wang Guangting that although he was afraid of Ming's strength, he was not afraid. After all, in his opinion, no matter how powerful Ming was, it was still far away, and it would be difficult to form a fatal blow to the British Empire. challenge.

Seeing this, Wang Guangting couldn't help but asked in a cold voice: "Aren't you afraid of the wrath of His Majesty the Ming Emperor?" After speaking, Wang Guangting snorted angrily, and angrily left Cromwell's manor together with Cao Shiwen.

But at this time, a group of British soldiers with firearms ran out from the stabbing, and pointed directly at Wang Guangting and Cao Shiwen.

Wang Guangting and Cao Shiwen stopped at the same time and turned around, looking at Cromwell: "Earl Cromwell, what are you doing?"

"You have violated the laws of the British Empire by refusing to hand over the remaining smoke and soil. You will be arrested and detained until you are willing to hand over the smoke and soil!"

As he said that, Cromwell directly ordered his soldiers to detain Wang Guangting and Cao Shiwen, thus creating a leaderless situation for the entire Daming tobacco and soil company in Europa, and then forcing Daming's tobacco and soil company to obediently pay the tobacco and soil , and then implement the ban on smoking trade.

Cromwell can also be regarded as being vigorous and resolute. After detaining Wang Guangting and Cao Shiwen, he immediately ordered his army to rush into the major tobacco companies and directly forcibly seize Daming's opium.

Because Meisheng Company and other Daming tobacco companies did not receive the unified command of Wang Guangting and Cao Shiwen, and this is a British territory after all, and Cromwell came prepared, so Meisheng Company and other Daming tobacco companies also He had to be forced to pay a lot of smoke and soil.

There was even a bloody incident at the branch warehouse of the Meisheng Company in Liverpool. Dong Chuanzhu, the deacon of the Meisheng Company, was directly beaten to death, and three employees of the Meisheng Company were injured.

This Dong Chuanzhu was the eldest son of Dong Chefu who worked as a rickshaw driver for Zhang Dai, but he unexpectedly became the first victim of Cromwell's smoking ban.

Seeing that someone had been killed, Cromwell became even more unscrupulous, and continued to intensify his efforts, forcing all the tobacco and soil companies in the entire Ming Dynasty in England to hand over 100 million catties of tobacco and soil. The total loss amounted to hundreds of millions of silver dollars.

However, the English Empire made a huge fortune because of this, and the smoke and soil worth hundreds of millions of silver dollars were divided up by it. In an instant, Charles I also had enough military expenses to launch sectarian wars.

But for the proud Daming, this is a big shame. No one thought that these Western fans would be so bold and do business with you, but these English Western fans do not follow the rules and want to engage in domineering .

Of course, Cromwell also knew that this move would completely anger Daming. In order to avoid over-reliance on Daming in the future, he simply asked Charles I to agree to close the major ports, stop trade with Daming, and expel Daming. people leave the country.

Meisheng Company and other companies, as well as Jin Yiwei on the bright side, had to go back to China.

And when the news came back to the country, there was an uproar. No one thought that the distant little England would dare to be so bold, offending the majesty of the heavenly kingdom, and even causing human life.

(End of this chapter)